Majority of Malibu Crime Committed by Homeless, Sheriff says

Crime is up 34% this year in Malibu, with homeless people accounting for most of the city’s recent arrests, the Lost Hills Sheriff said.

August 10, 2026

90% of crimes in Malibu are [committed by homeless people,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc343BkPW9Y) Sgt. Chris Soderlund told Malibu’s Public Safety Commission last week.

The stark estimate comes amidst a jump in crime in the city over the summer. 200 serious crimes were reported in July, according to recently released crime reports, up from 149 in July of 2024.

Many of those crimes comprised theft charges, which normally increase in Malibu in July and August, as millions of visitors flock to the city’s beaches.

However Sgt. Soderlund highlighted some more serious crimes within the city’s homeless community, including a homeless man arrested with a concealed, loaded firearm at PCH and Carbon Canyon Road last month, and another arrested for assault with a deadly weapon near the pier.

Soderlund’s estimate comes as homelessness in Malibu keeps falling, at least according to official numbers. [January's count found 44 people](https://www.smdp.com/malibu-continues-multi-year-trend-of-declining-homelessness/) citywide — 33 individuals and 11 living in vehicles — the fifth straight year of decline and down from 239 at the 2020 peak. The majority of those people camp nightly in tents around the Malibu Library, Soderlund said.